Robinson Cano's Baseball Legacy Is Tarnished With PED Suspension

The Seattle Mariners second baseman didn't just break his hand this week.

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Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano didn’t have to make himself a clown in the PED circus, but he did it. It was a wicked week for the premier second baseman of this generation who broke his hand and then followed that physical pain up on Tuesday with an image-pounding 80-game suspension following a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug, MLB announced.

Robinson Cano has been suspended 80 games for testing positive for a performance enhancing drug. First reported by @hgomez27.

The league released the following statement:

"The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that second baseman Robinson Canó of the Seattle Mariners has received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Furosemide, a Diuretic, in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program".

Cano says he was prescribed something by a doctor and didn’t know what it was. We know he’s lying, but what else can he say? He’s dealing with embarrassment and massive disappointment as he has let Seattle and a country of aspiring players down. The substance, Furosemide is a diuretic and Cano, via a statement on social media, admits that he took the substance.

Now Cano’s Hall of Fame legacy is tarnished for life. He was a shoo-in first ballot HOFer, but his connection to this failed test and the questionable reputation of certain Dominican superstars over the years, lends further credence to the private conversations among BBWAA writers that performance enhancers are a part of the Dominican baseball culture and encouraged as a way of gaining an advantage into the minors.

VICE Sports examines San Pedro de Macoris, a small city in the Dominican Republic known for producing some of the best major league infielders of all time.

As is the case with all players who fail a PED test, Cano is no longer eligible for this year's postseason. We know the Latin Lord has been one of the elite players in the game since his days with the Yankees, but now the questions creep in about how many of those 305 career homers -- all of those huge Yankees stadium bombs -- are artificially induced.

PED’s have been used by athletes of all ethnicities over the years for different reasons. Some guys needed an edge to get their stats to that next level and make more money. Others used it as a healing agent because you can't market yourself or protect your job or earn your salary from the bench injured. Others were just greedy and wanted to extend their playing careers or increase power numbers. Some were trying to live up to the pressure of a lucrative contract.

At 35 years old, Cano is entering the twilight of his career. He’s not a young player in his prime as Dee Gordon was when he failed his PED test with the Marlins back in 2016 and got suspended just a few months after he won the National League batting title (.333), became an All-Star for the second time and won a Gold Glove at second base. That season netted Gordon a $50 million, five-year contract, so maybe he feels it was worth it.

A Highlights Video for Dee Gordon! I'm making 2015 highlights for players who are on a below .500 team, if anyone has a player they want me to do for 2015 highlights, let me know, and it has to be a player that is on a below .500 team.

Melky Cabrera was leading the NL in batting in 2012 when he got caught in the middle of a San Francisco Giants World Series run. It wasn't worth it because he got caught, but before he was outed, Cabrera was in line for a $60-80 million contract on the open market so I get it.

Cano, on the other hand, didn't need to do anything but enjoy his money and head towards retirement. When I look at Robbie's stats over the past few years the season that raises a red flag is 2016. Cano came to Seattle at age 31 and signed for a record $240 million. He was blasted after his first season when he hit just 14 homers in 2014. He hit 21 the next season, but his batting average fell below .300 for the first time in six seasons. Though still a tough out, he was definitely on the decline,Then all of a sudden in 2016 he exploded with a career -high 39 homers and drobe in over 100 runs for the first time in three seasons.

Robinson Cano Seattle Mariners "2016 Highlights" .298 BA | .350 OBP | 39 HR | 103 RBI | 161 Games ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Please like, comment, and share! Subscribe for More! www.youtube.com/baseballvault ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *I do not own any of the footage or audio in this , it belongs to the MLB, and the copyright owner of the song.

If I had to guess, that’s when he started juicing. He may have been doing it all throughout his Yankees career, but we wouldn't know that because like he said, "he's past dozens of tests" throughout his 14-year career.

The pressure to be great and maintain it can be overwhelming, It challenges a good person’s morals and makes an honest person deceive themselves for one more roar of the crowd. One more check. One more taste of immortality.

After nine years in the shining spotlight of Bronx baseball, Cano tried to hide in Seattle and sit on his money, building his HOf profile out of the spotlight of MLB’s most popular franchise. Superstars getting caught for PEDs in baseball isn’t a shock anymore, but when a player of Cano’s character, respect, ranking, caliber and importance to his community and the culture of baseball gets caught slipping, it sure disappoints the heck out of you. And no matter how many games he gets suspended, the fact that he did use sends a terrible message to kids and aspiring players about what it takes to become a pro.